From: Morgan Dear Rabbi, I get stressed-out over all the things I have to do. It gets so overwhelming that I just get confused and lock-up. I was wondering whether there might be any particular Jewish way of dealing with and managing this type of stress. Thanks for any help and insight you may be[…]
From: Name Withheld Dear Rabbi, Hi. I take antidepressants, and it has helped me a lot. The only problem is that, truthfully, I do not feel the same connection to G‑d now as I did when I was depressed. Sometimes I used to pray with tears. I guess you could say that medication has made[…]
From: Mark Dear Rabbi, Would you please clarify if and under what circumstances one may kill insects or pests. On the one hand, it would seem that one should be able to do so. On the other hand, since these are G‑d’s creations, how can we justify taking life He’s given? Dear Mark, This is[…]
Based on a real-life correspondence published with permission from the questioner. From: Jonathan in MA Dear Rabbi, My mom suffers from diabetes and it has now destroyed her kidneys. The tests have been done and I am an excellent match to donate my kidney to her, but someone told me that it was against the[…]
From: Jennie Dear Rabbi, What is the Torah’s position on healing? Since everything is from G‑d, do sickness and ailments have to be suffered because that’s G‑d’s will? Or can we try to cure the maladies sent by G‑d? If so, doesn’t that undermine His intentions? Dear Jennie, According to Judaism, everything that happens, whether[…]
From: Orna in Toronto Dear Rabbi, Before I became religious I used to love dance very much. As I spent several years trying to catch up on Jewish learning and then became involved in shidduchim and marriage, I didn’t find an opportunity to pursue dance within the religious community. Now that I’m married and with[…]
From: David Rose in Calgary Dear Rabbi, I practice Chinese medicine which includes fasting as one of the many methods of healing. I am wondering what the Jewish perspective on fasting is. Thank you. Dear David, Judaism posits that spiritual forces are at the root of everything physical. On a cosmic scale, this means that[…]
From: Ken in CO Dear Rabbi, I am an avid ski-buff gone religious. Is there any reason according to Judaism not to go snow skiing? Dear Ken, There’s nothing wrong with snow skiing per se. It’s good exercise, invigorating, and is practiced in a natural setting that inspires awe of G‑d. But there are some[…]
From: Yehudah Silver Dear Rabbi, I’d like to know if there are any Jewish origins to the symbol of a single snake wrapped around a single staff being used as a medical symbol. Although this is usually attributed to Greek gods, I’m wondering if they just copied something from us. I’m thinking of the event[…]
From: Liron in L.A. Dear Rabbi, Doesn’t the verse, “Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it; have dominion over…every living thing” (Genesis 1:28) seem to teach disrespect and egocentric insensitivity to the environment. What is Judaism’s attitude to environmental issues? Dear Liron, The idea you suggest was promoted by Arnold Toynbee[…]